Do organic farmers feel happier than conventional ones? An exploratory analysis

•We examine the relationship between organic farming and life satisfaction.•Organic farmers report higher levels of life satisfaction.•Subjective well-being is associated with income, profitability, satisfaction at work, social recognition, and good health.

We examine the relationship between organic farming and subjective well-being or life satisfaction. Applying an ordered probit model to a sample of French farmers located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) area (Southeast), we find that organic farmers report higher levels of life satisfaction, compared to the conventional ones. Moreover, this positive relationship holds for both recently-converted and earlier-converted farmers. Our findings also show that subjective well-being is positively associated with income, profitability, satisfaction at work, social recognition, and good health.